The Northwood Howler Volume XXIV, Issue II: September 26, 2022

INSIDE ISSUE

Grammys at The Oak: Northwood takes on Homecoming

Although Homecoming is an annual tradition at Northwood, this year’s game and dance came with a number of changes including the abolishing of Homecoming court, a new halftime show at the football game and the first indoor rally in over two years.

With efforts to incorporate stu dent voice into the planning of school events, students were encouraged to submit theme ideas and vote, which also led to the switch from casual to semi-formal attire.

“There was a lot of feedback about the inequities of Homecoming court,” activities director Jennifer Petrosian said. “In particular, there was a lot of talk about the gender specificity. The thought process be hind a lot of this has been being able to spotlight larger groups of students in our events.”

Without the court ceremony, this year’s halftime show was set to fea ture the marching band, colorguard, dance theater and performances from the respective class councils.

By Shreya Aithal Staff Writer

Gold and silver glimmers in the dark, heels click on brick and red sat in carpets while lights shine through the faint drizzle across The Oak. With CDs hanging from branches and award-worthy music flowing through the crisp air, Northwood welcomed their starring guests at The Gram mys-themed Homecoming dance on Sept. 10.

The dance included Gram my-themed props scattered through out the quad, Northwood’s signature

photo booth, games such as Connect Four and bowling as well as a large crowd of dancing students in front of the DJ.

“I really enjoyed the photo booth because the GIF it made was so cute,” freshman Emily Yokota said.

“The decorations and aspect of dress ing up made it a great experience.”

Northwood’s very own Grammy stars celebrated the football team’s 39-8 win against Valley View High School on Sept. 9, the night before the dance. Amidst the pouring rain, Northwood football players scored one touchdown after another, leading

by over 30 points by halftime.

“The game was exciting and everyone played really well,” soph omore Ava Cruz said. “I love being

in the student section and cheering; you’re with all your friends and cheering for the players is so much fun.”

However, this was canceled due to the rain and safety hazards to the performers. While the rain reduced turnout at the football game, many students and teachers still came out to support the football team and North wood varsity and junior varsity pep squad, who cheered throughout the game.

“Planning Homecoming espe cially this year was stressful because of the tight turnaround,” ASB presi dent senior Rachel How said. “But I’m really glad that we were able to include more student voices in

planning this whole event because it helped connect ASB to our students.”

History on Turf: Girls golf shatters decade long record

By Lucy Kim Staff Writer

After one last powerful swing, players on Northwood’s girls golf team gather nervously under the sweltering sun. When the tallied scores are announced, the players can relish not only in their victory, but also a new milestone: They had just broken the school’s 11-year-long standing record score.

The previous Northwood girls golf record of 184 shots, set in 2011, was broken on Sept. 8 when the team finished their match against Univer sity High School with a new low of 182 shots.

“Everyone’s super excited, and to be honest, when the first couple of groups came in, we didn’t even think that we were doing that good,” sophomore Bridget Chantharath said. “It wasn’t until we counted up all the

scores, and were like, ‘Oh my God, we just beat the record!’ And obvi ously coach Halop was really over the moon about it.”

In golf, the “starting six” play in three groups of two. At this match, the starting players were freshman Zoe Yan, sophomores Shivali Shrivas tava and Bridget Chantharath, junior co-captain Jia An and seniors co-cap tains Mia Hennequin and Shani Lin. With such a tight-knit group, coordi nation is crucial.

If you’re unfamiliar with golf, you might not expect that in golf, the lower the score, the better. This is be cause the goal in golf is striking the ball into the hole with as few strokes as possible.

Last match, all of the players shot nearly equal to the par, which is the number of strokes an expert play er is expected to make for a given hole. At the Oak Creek Golf Club,

Chantharath, An and Yan all scored 34s, two less than the par of 36.

However, this new record didn’t appear out of the blue—it was some thing that the team decided to aim for at the beginning of the year. All of the players from last year’s golf team returned, which strengthened their team dynamic more than ever. Last year, the team did not advance as far as they had hoped for in their region al, divisional and state CIF matches. This year, however, they are pushing even harder.

“For our match against Univer sity we were coming off of a win so we wanted to keep the momentum going,” Hennequin said. “We pushed each other during practice and worked on parts of our game that we could improve upon.”

With a huge milestone reached, the team looks even higher. Now in the postseason, the golfers are prepar

ing to win at the CIF Team Champi onships, hoping to ride this wave of victory down the line.

You can see these players all

Drum Majors A&E

Class Council Reform Viewpoint

Cuber Choi Sports

Ellie Chan The Northwood Howler

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION: Seniors Nick Cortes and Destiny Crisantos enjoy a night of dancing, singing and pictures, all while red-carpet ready.

Check out more exclusive content on thehowleronline.org

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There was a lot of feedback about the inequities of the Homecoming court. In par ticular, there was a lot of talk about gender specificity.

—activities director Jennifer Petrosian

Ellie Chan The Northwood Howler

SWINGING TO VICTORY: Freshman Zoe Yan aims precisely as she perfects her strike under the greenery at the Oak Creek Golf Club.

out in action at their next home game against Irvine High School at the Oak Creek Golf Club this Thursday on Sept. 29.

Amplifying Asian culture at the Mid-Autumn Festival

By Kaylie Wang Staff Writer

The walls of Hangar 244 vibrate as traditional music bounces off its walls, while those wandering outside crowd under the vibrantly colored pa per lanterns to escape the rain.

Once inside, the audience watch es attentively as a dancer on stage executes crane-like movements with power and grace; even in the rain, families from around the city gather to enjoy this holiday with its lively en tertainment and interactive activities. The Mid-Autumn Festival was hosted at the Great Park by the City of Irvine and South Coast Chinese Cultural Center on the evening of Sept. 9.

While initially planned to be held outdoors, performances—from live music to poetry reading to classi cal dance—crafts and cultural booths were moved into the Gallery and Art ists Studios due to rain.

Outside, food trucks and stands offered popular foods from Asian communities such as hibachi, Ko rean fried chicken, dumplings, ramen, sticky rice and more.

High School Youth Action Team volunteers assisted the event staff with indoor craft booths, giving visi tors the opportunity to learn the cul tural significance of paper lanterns and origami moon rabbits and create mooncakes with Play Doh.

“If someone never heard about the history of mooncakes before, now they can learn,” YAT volunteer sopho more Teresa Lin said. “Usually people

perceive different cultures in a stereo typical way, and this just shines a new light on it and makes them view it in a different way.”

This event is part of the City of Irvine’s commitment to diversity, eq uity and inclusion from City Council Resolution No. 21-05 signed in 2021.

Each month, the city will spotlight traditional cultural or religious cel ebrations, representative of its diverse community. At this festival, activities such as a family bingo in between per formances and free admission made

participation accessible for all.

“I’m excited to once again pro vide an opportunity for the commu nity to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, while also featuring educa tional opportunities and cultural per formances from organizations across Orange County,” Irvine mayor Far rah Khan said. “I hope residents will join me in this culturally-rich event to honor an important holiday and learn about its history.”

Indoor booths also provided an array of community resources includ

Choir’s back-to-school Informance

ing senior associations, cultural com munity alliances and the OC Registrar of Voters ahead of the November mid term elections.

While this festival was planned between the City of Irvine and SCCCC, many East and Southeast Asian communities celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival as well.

This cultural diversity was rep resented through the variety of per formances from Southern Californian organizations: Vietnamese classi cal traditional dance from Viet Cam

Dance, Cambodian classical dance by Modern Apsara Company and a Japanese-pop dance by KKAP, the University of California Irvine’s Kpop dance team.

For a similar experience, head to Great Park for the Irvine Global Vil lage Festival on Oct. 8 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. to enjoy food, art and music in recognition of international cultures. From celebrating various holidays to learning about different cultures, these festivals have much to offer for everyone.

Recycled water expands

By Karen Wang News Editor

The Irvine Water District re ceived a $12.2 million grant for its Syphon Reservoir Improvement Project on Aug. 18, which will in crease storage capacity for recycled water from 188.3 million gallons to over 1.6 billion.

The grant was secured by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, who allocated $310 mil lion towards combating a “Western megadrought,” made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Presi dent Biden signed last November. The bill invested over $8.3 billion in the Bureau of Reclamation for water infrastructure projects, and the fund ing will aid 25 water recycling proj ects in the West, 20 of which are in California.

As a whole, IUSD uses over 600 acre-feet of recycled water each year, conserving 200 million gallons of drinking water annually, according to the IRWD. And at Northwood, The Oak and familiar greenery on Wolf Trail are all sustained by recycled water.

“Since the school opened in 1999, all of our ornamental planters, grass and fields have been supported by reclaimed water, and we’ve never had an issue with it,” head custodian and plant supervisor Ernie Medina said.

Shifting Irvine towards selfsufficiency, the Syphon Reservoir Improvement Project aims to reduce high costs for the city in the long term.

By Elena Higuchi Staff Writer

For the first time in five years, Northwood students and families packed the theater for the North wood choral program’s Choir Infor mance. The lights dimmed and the beginning-level women’s ensemble, Treble Clef, shuffled onto the stage to sing “Manx Lullaby” by Sláinte.

The Choir Informance on Sept. 14 was an informal showcase of the Northwood’s choral ensembles. While the beginning-level and in termediate-level choral groups per formed songs, advanced-level Viva Cantar and Chamber Singers demon strated the intricacies of choir.

Viva Cantar displayed prop er posture and their sight-reading skills, while Chamber Singers gave a live demonstration of voice match ing, showing how the choir’s sound changes as people move into differ ent places.

“We want people to see where

we start because if the audience can have that reference point and see what we can do in just a little bit of time, it shows anybody that you’re completely capable of doing some thing like this,” choir director Zach Halop said.

the year. This left many students and families are unfamiliar with the cho ral program and performances. The Choir Informance served as an edu cational experience for both new and returning students and families.

“I think it was really important

Previously, Irvine’s excess treat ed water during the winter months has been discarded into the ocean, but for IRWD’s 500,000 customers, this will no longer be the case. Re cycled water currently makes up for 80% of public and commercial irriga tion in Irvine, and every drop counts according to IRWD Communications Manager John Fabris.

“Recycled water really is the reason, when you drive around the Irvine Ranch Water District, why things are so green and beautiful even though we’re in a statewide drought,” Fabris said to ABC7.

“Having stored water typi cally keeps costs down significantly, though it costs a great amount to set up these systems initially,” City Manager Oliver Chi said. “Without storage, transporting the water great distances hinders the ability to draw on water when there’s high demand in summer months.”

The Syphon Reservoir is not expected to be completed until 2028, but until then, Irvine and its residents lead the charge towards a water-con scious California.

“Truly exemplifying where for ward thinking can take us, IRWD has innovated a critical piece of in frastructure that is best in class,” Chi said.

After a five year hiatus and the disruptions caused by COVID-19, the Choir Informance returned as the first choral performance of the year. Approval for live performanc es was given a few months into the last school year, but many restric tions still remained until the end of

to show parents and newcomers in the choral program the atmosphere of performances,” Viva Cantar singer senior Salma Iliasu said. “I was also able to relearn what choir perfor mances are like.”

Be sure to look out for the fall choir concert on Oct. 20 at 7 p.m.

Photos Provided by The City of Irvine

RAIN OR SHINE: Festival-goers engage in a paper lantern craft as dancers execute fan movements with precision and style.

Ellie Chan The Northwood Howler

BACK TO THE BASICS: Viva Cantar singer senior Ananya Badari demonstrates intricate sight-reading.

Creative Commons

KEEN TO BE GREEN: Irvine scenery withstands blazing drought.

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I think it was really important to show parents and newcomers the atmosphere of performances.

—senior Salma Iliasu

Good, Bad and Ugly: Advice for a frenzy of freshmen fears

By Kaylie Wang Staff Writer

To all the young Timberwolves, feeling lost is indeed a natural sen sation that you are expected to have; entering the Pack is a bumpy road, and each individuwal will face their own set of challenges. As you navi gate your first year in high school, hold on tightly to this new edition of The Good, Bad and Ugly, a roadmap of advice to help make your year run smoothly.

Dear Howler, I want to start get ting involved now that I am in high school. What are some activities I can participate in?

Most appreciated, Eager and Enthu siastic

Good: Remember that you are not expected to have a life-long passion when you enter high school—or even when you graduate. High school is a place to explore new and old in terests, so make the most of North wood’s plentiful opportunities by participating in extracurriculars or taking classes on topics you already enjoy and topics you want to try. To list a few, there’s student government, athletics, music, theater and student media. At Club Kickoff, scope out a reasonable number of clubs you want to join (from speech and debate to cultural clubs) and stay updated through the club’s method of commu nication—Instagram, email etc.

Bad: You absolutely should have your entire life already planned out by the moment you set foot onto these hallowed halls. Revolve your

fulfilled, motivated and valued. Con tinue sulking as you watch others live their best life.

Dear Howler, are there any bad teachers at Northwood?

Many thanks, Ferociously Fretful

Good: While all Northwood teachers are equally as passionate in their sub ject as they are in helping you suc ceed, that is not to say that you won’t encounter a teacher whose teaching does not match your learning style. In this case, you may find it helpful to see if your teacher can help you individually during tutorial. If you would benefit from being taught else where, you can head to The Media Center during seventh/eighth periods to meet with trained peer tutors.

“Bad Habit” by continuing your bad habit of not asking your teacher for help or being proactive in making sure you understand concepts in that class. Then, when you are filled with regret at the memory of missed mo ments when you ultimately receive a disappointing grade, Steve Lacy’s lyrics “Made a move, coulda made a move … I wish I knew you wanted [to help] me” will resonate with you.

Ugly: Yes. There are teachers that hate students and will do everything in their power to make you fail. If your Steve Lacy-obsessed friend tells you “I hated that teacher. They failed me on purpose, I mean maybe that’s because I never asked any questions and always felt confused,” follow their advice: Immediately drop the class. Happiness comes with sacrific es, and those sacrifices may include

Oftentimes, you may find that leav ing early is the only way to avoid the intense backup. Plus, with at least a couple minutes to spare, you can bask in morning sun and crisp air, easing yourself into a productive day.

Bad: Continue leaving 10 minutes before school starts. If anyone con fronts you for being late, remind them that time is merely a construct. Remember that regardless of others’ success (e.g. immaculate attendance), you are not behind in life, even if you are still in bed at 9:00 a.m. on a Mon day morning when school starts at 8:30 a.m.

Ugly: Cut to the front of both lines. While this may involve angering hundreds of families and executing unsafe driving practices, squash the weak in survival of the fittest.

This autumn, don’t ‘fall’ behind on getting to

By Jaycee Hendrickson Staff Writer

Every year, Northwood bustles with energy as it prepares to welcome the incoming class of freshmen. Ori entation days, link crew and parent meetings all recognize the newest ad ditions to Northwood’s community… but sometimes we miss welcoming our new teachers. This year, North wood has eight new staff members.

Kyle Ennis – Ed Specialist

Nathan Parr – Ed Specialist

Soo Sim – Ed Specialist

Counselor Bailey Phenicie spent the past year with Northwood to earn her teaching credentials and a Mas ters in school counseling from UCI.

Kyle Ennis, an education special ist and new coach for Northwood’s wrestling team, also joined the North wood community this year. His prior exposure to serving others helped him discover a passion for teaching that he hopes to fulfill here at North wood. Joining the mathematics de partment is Nathalie Nguyen, who teaches AP Statistics and Math 2. She began her career at Bolsa Grande High School in Garden Grove, where

Being a teacher was kind of the first option I had because I still wanted to do math and stats.”

Kyle Ennis: “I have always wanted to help people. When I lived in Huntington Beach, I started a char ity to get homeless people off the

street and I caught the bug to help people there. I wanted to make it my life, so I decided to go and just help people that needed it and it led to me working in special education in Hun tington Beach. When I started work ing in that environment, it made me

want to become a teacher because I can help keep people off the streets by providing them with education.”

TH: What drew you to work at Northwood?

KE: “I finished my degree at

WARM SMILES ALL AROUND: Nathan Parr, Jordan Tyo, Soo Sim, Nathalie Nguyen, Catherine ter (left to right) smile in anticipation for the coming year. Bailey Phenicie overlooks student files (left) while

Rita Lai TheNorthwoodHowler

LIBRARY LEVITY: Freshmen Emma Walton (left), Adam Elkoustaf (middle) and Shada Sirat (right) enjoy a bright moment of reprieve during their study session.

Office Intro: Hello!

By Kaylie Wang Staff Writer

Mindy Baker – Front Desk

Baker directs students to the right place and transfers questions on phone calls. She also ensures that visitors like parent volunteers pass the security check-in, accepts pack ages or mail and schedules the use of Northwood facilities.

know Northwood’s new staff

far as the kind of education they’re putting these kids through and it re ally caught my eye, so I decided to pursue working here.”

Bailey Phenicie: “Honestly, it was all fate. I had to figure out where I was going to do my internship in the middle of the year, and my program required me to do five days a week. I did two days at IVA for a little bit and then three days here, and it was only because the other intern happened to leave in the middle of the year. I had reached out to the person who man

test back’ and ‘how do I get this one point back.’ I would love for them to relax a little bit more, have more fun with it and not just worry about scores. But yeah, the students here are awesome. They’re really well balanced, motivated, have lots of compassion and I’m excited to see where all of us go.”

KE: “I’ve noticed that the kids are super cool, everybody is really nice, everybody kind of works to gether and in every classroom I’m in, the environment is just positive.

Leanne Lauritzen – Admin Assistant

Lauritzen’s job often varies, but she ultimately supports the principal, front office staff and teachers. She of ten sits in meetings for the leadership and administration team. Additional ly, to assist teachers, she purchases supplies within the department or athletic budgets.

Mariya Barin – Activities Clerk

ASB purchases are received and processed by Barin, who man ages money charged for ASB, sports, clubs, VAPA and other school events. She deposits money collected from fundraisings and sales and donations. She also verifies budget availability, creates auditable records and reports and updates Web Store on the school store website.

California State University, Long Beach and because I’m not a ful ly credentialed teacher yet I put my name out there for internships and Ir vine was the first one to respond. I did some research on this school and saw that it was a cutting-edge program as

Shital Alag – Attendance Clerk

Alag oversees student atten dance, reminding teachers to submit attendance reports, signing tardy slips and completing early release forms. She also manages detentions with a team of teachers and admin istrators and listens to calls from par ents or guardians regarding absences and tardies.

Omiya schedules buses, trans portation and referees. She must be prepared for last-minute changes, like coordinating the next steps in the event of unexpected weather changes. Omiya assists students in the athletic clearance process, but the events she coordinates change with each season.

Hajarizadeh helps schedule substitute teachers and leads annual student residency verifications. Addi tionally, she assigns student assistants to teachers of the best fit at the begin ning of each semester. She is also in charge of handling the school’s lost and found, which involves helping students report stolen items.

Kathy Lontayao – School Registrar

Lontayao is in charge of enroll ing new students and making tran script changes like grade changes. To fulfill this duty, she transfers credits from previous schools and issues final transcripts. Lontayao also an swers questions from prospective families and makes grade updates for teachers.

Cali, Kyle Ennis and London Car while Ennis catches up on emails (right).

Aya Takase-Songui Northwood Howler

Ellie Chan TheNorthwoodHowler

Sophia Ho TheNorthwoodHowler

Grace Omiya – Athletic Secretary

Mojgan Hajarizadeh – Student Services

Alright for

How Drum Majors delegate the Wall of Sound throughout the football season Friday Night’s MARCHING

By Noelle escalaNte A&E Editor

Overseeing a sea of white and blue uniforms, the drum majors roll their feet onto the podium for their 2022 show “Elton John.” Seniors Bhargavi Deshpande, June Lee and Brendan Birozy were chosen as drum majors for the 2022 season, each having mul tidisciplinary backgrounds within music and careers starting as early as elementary school.

“In fourth grade, I played a cello hand-me-down that was blue,” Birozy said. “I was the first chair cellist, and every concert and rehearsal I would pull out this big blue cello, which I played until seventh grade and then picked up bass in middle school.”

Before high school, each drum major watched their older siblings

participate in the Northwood band and various orchestra ensembles.

“I started music because of my brother,” Deshpande said. “From when I was in elementary school, I watched him play, and I went to ev ery single one of his concerts growing up.”

Being a drum major requires bal ancing an assertive demeanor with working as a team. The drum major conducts the band during their field performances, maintaining commu nication with the other drum majors and the drumline to keep the band playing together and in tempo, even while some members are as far as 90 yards away from each other. Accom panying this is a visible position as the band’s top leadership, working as role models to inspire younger mem bers.

“It’s a lot of having to spread our selves out, but also rely on each other, because there’s only three of us and 218 people,” Lee said. “Figuring out how to get to all the sections, but also making sure that we’re not spreading ourselves too thin is a really big thing, along with working with leadership is a group effort.”

The best part of having three drum majors is the camaraderie that ex ists among the team where each has unique strengths to offer.

“All three of us are very differ ent, so it’s been good to have two of us take a step back and demonstrate something else, especially since we’ve all had very different experiences in band,” Deshpande said. “Even though we were all in brass, we had very dif ferent musical backgrounds and tra ditions, and I think it’s important to

know when to step back and when to take the lead.”

From leading the band in pep tunes on the stands to packing up their instruments, the drum majors cultivate a familial energy that allows every member to feel safe and com fortable.

“Everyone has a blast helping out at 10:30 at night unloading the trucks and bringing all the gear back into the music room,” Birozy said. “And then afterwards, we’re only running on adrenaline, but still find the time to do sectionals, where we find whatever restaurant that’s open late and hang out.”

Amidst the formalities, a so-called “marching family” is what separates marching band from other extra curriculars on campus. With this, drum majors strive to create a safe

and friendly environment that allows everyone to be included, and to be a part of the band.

- senior Bhargavi Deshpande

The Freshman Forte: How they stand out in the stands

I heard it would be a really good way to make connections because it’s the biggest student body at Northwood. The commu nity is diverse, with different peo ple from all over the school join ing together to play. I’ve learned some sort of discipline, more than what I had before.

- Nathan How (9) Alto Saxophone “

I went to band camp before high school started and I was able to make friends and talk to people. It’s like a giant family. All the se niors are friendly and are willing to talk to you. It was such a great way to start high school and make friends. It’s a little tiring, but it’s so fun.

- Ritieka Kumar (9) Trombone

reported By Megha Kishore

“ “ I really enjoyed the energy at the football game and how every body was cheering for our team. It’s just a really fun elective where you can make a lot of friends and practice choreography together.

- Isabelle Sumcad (9) Color guard

When I first joined marching band, I didn’t have many friends at Northwood, but I was able to connect with the people in my sec tion over music. For the visuals to come together, everyone needs to do their part and contribute, which makes it a team-building activity. The environment is really positive, which is why it’s so much easier to make friends.

- Lauryn Chew (9) Clarinet

COORDINATING THE CROCODILE ROCK: (Left to right): drum majors June Lee, Brendan Birozy and Bhargavi Deshpande prep for the 2022 field show on a Monday morning.

tyler truoNg The Northwood Howler

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It’s been good to have two of us take a step back and demon strate something else, especially since we’ve all had very different experiences in band.

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Behind the Plumes and Podium: Who’s in charge?

game performance.

By shreya aithal Staff Writer

First, walk into registration. Then, morning check-in, dot and drill sheets. Fittings, rehearsals and then all of a sudden—the first foot ball game. Northwood wouldn’t be the same without its marching band, which could not run without its im portant staff behind the scenes.

Composed of band staff, uniform staff and librarian staff, these lead ership teams work together with the drum majors, section leaders and cap tains to achieve a seamless football

Managed by junior Irene Hwang, junior Matthew Morikawa and soph omore Drew Maragay, band staff is responsible for setting up speakers and the podium for the drum majors, along with loading trucks with all of the instruments and other necessary materials for game days. After foot ball games, volunteers return to the band room to unload all instruments and other materials brought to the football game, organize them correct ly and set everything up for the up coming week.

“It’s a lot of labor work, but in

general, being on leadership is really fun,” Hwang said. “You have a small group of people that you really de pend on, but we also teach other peo ple and delegate everything.”

Uniform staff, managed by senior Salma Iliasu and sophomore Baylie Wong, fit over 200 people during band camp in August, tailoring marching uniforms for students.

“Being the uniform manager al lows me to craft a lot,” Iliasu said. “We have to be able to think outside the box when fitting people and dif ferent sizes, so it’s like an outlet for me.”

Alongside uniform staff is the li brary staff, which is overseen by ju nior David Gima, sophomore Annie Song and sophomore Aya TakaseSongui. The library staff is primarily involved during band camp, where they are responsible for registration, check-in and paperwork, which in volves coordinating all marching band events and performances.

“Library staff does a lot of organi zational work, and as leadership, we try to help out with whatever is need ed, whenever we can,” Gima said.

“Being on leadership, I feel honored to be setting an example for not only

other band members, but for every one that sees the Northwood March ing Band.”

No matter which leadership role students are in, the strong connection between everyone creates the com munity that keeps people coming back year after year.

“I feel more committed to march ing band now because I’m in leader ship,” Hwang said. “Even though I have a little bit more responsibility, but that also comes with getting to talk to new people within all parts of the band, and I’ve made a lot more friends this year than last year.”

tyler truoNg The Northwood Howler

PRACTICE MAKES PROGRESS: The clarinet section spread out during morning practice to warm-up with scales and learn the new notes for their set.

Classifieds: Northwood High Students and faculty members may place classified ads in The Northwood Howler by contacting the Business Manager at: north woodnewspaper@gmail.com

The Northwood Howler is published by Northwood High School as an open forum for exchange of news and ideas. Views expressed in The North wood Howler do not necessarily represent opinions of the NHS ad ministration or the Irvine Unified School District.

Signed letters to the Editor are welcomed and encouraged. They can be placed in Adviser Marina Alburger’s mailbox or delivered to Room 1102. The Northwood Howler reserves the right to edit letters for length, grammar and clarity. Advertisements do not necessarily represent the opinion of the newspaper.

Mission Statement: To serve as a medium for school news and the expression of student ideas while adhering to the highest standards of journalistic integrity.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Justified censorship of online extremism

By Rhea Gupta Staff Writer

Social media has become a hub that fosters growth, spreads new ideas and offers new information. Howev er, the spread of false information and hateful speech has become even more prevalent with extremist groups utilizing platforms to spread hateful ideas that cater to their agenda. Ban ning harmful social media users with a large following is a justified method to promote a safe online community, especially when users continuously violate community guidelines.

Community guidelines exist to make an online community safe and to establish the standard of behav ior expected on the platform.

rights are violated when accounts are banned, social media companies are not government associated and their platforms are not public forums, and therefore are not subject to free speech protections. In simpler terms, freedom of speech does not equate to freedom on Instagram. Technolo gy companies have banned accounts before, including former President Trump following the Jan. 6 insurrec tion and more recently extreme inter net personality and former kickboxer Andrew Tate’s ban for violating com munity guidelines with hate speech, violence and dehumanizing individ uals/groups. Tate’s ban across social media platforms is a prime example

ing an appearance on the television show “Big Brother” in 2016, Tate garnered sig nificant media attention for his extreme state ments. Notably, he has com pared women to property and stated that women should “bare some responsi bility” for being sexually assault ed, among other repulsive sex ist, homophobic and racist state ments. Until his so cial media ban in August, his influence on teenage boys and young men in particular was grow ing, with many viewing him as “exactly the role model they need”.

“The majority of our students, especially the ju niors, are obsessed with him and the outlandish views he por trays,” teachers from an all-boys secondary school shared with a New Zealand podcast. “They are starting to genuinely believe be ing successful is synonymous with abusing women.”

These New Zealand teachers have observed young boys parroting Tate’s deplorable statements, but due to social media’s global footprint, young men around the world had

Thus, Meta, TikTok and Youtube made the right choice

form, they have limited the impact Tate’s message of on young boys, who are vulnerable to adopting dangerous behavior as a result of these harmful ideas.

In addition to banning Tate, media companies should continue to limit conversations that promote hate speech or violent ideologies. This means not prioritizing popularity of content over the message or at the very least including a content warn ing or disclaimer before videos or content that might be harmful.

With the undeniable influence social media has on youth, it is the responsibility of tech companies to enforce community guidelines and take action when users fail to uphold those guidelines, even if that means removing the user.

New bell schedule rings happy chimes and dismal alarms

By Ally Venezia Staff Writer

After two years of “Monday An chor Day,” Northwood has reinstated its alternating even-odd bell schedule from prior years. The return to this schedule has sparked a fair bit of controversy and Northwood students have voiced strong opinions:

I don’t like the bell schedule. I prefer consistency every week and I miss the ‘Monday Chill Day.’ Every Monday schedule is different and it makes it really annoying to plan ahead.

— Maria Kochanova (12)

I like this schedule because I feel that we’re able to get more out of the week in terms of learning without the all-periods day. Last year, several teachers mentioned that not much could be taught during the 40-minute class periods. Not only does this change give them more time to do so, but it also benefits us as students by extension.

— Maddie Su (11)

I like this alternating schedule since it’s refreshing to have a little change every week that doesn’t affect my workload.

— George Xie (9)

I don’t like the schedule now be cause the week felt more diverse when we had every single class on Monday. I also liked having tutorial more times each week last year because I don’t have enough time to work or study for tests.

— Alison Abravanel (12)

I do enjoy the new block schedule, but I miss the Monday Anchor Days as it allowed me to catch up and help ease into the week. The block schedule is useful for the weeks where I need ex tra help in the classes that I would have three times that week.

— Riley Bajorek (11)

I liked our old schedule a lot better. When we would have all our periods on Monday, we got a better glimpse of what to expect throughout the rest of the week and it was more consistent. The current schedule is very confusing, and even though tutorial is longer, I would prefer to have it three times a week because it just makes more sense compared to sitting for 30 minutes in advisement and doing nothing. Having it only longer on Fridays was easier and we would all just be able to catch up and talk about announcements for the upcoming week.

— Mafaz Alhamaewendi (10)

The Northwood Howler

Reforming class councils for better representation

By Jaycee Hendrickson Staff Writer

For most students, the end of the school year is a typical blur of finals, negotiating higher grades and finding the motivation to actually show up at school. For a smaller group of stu dents, though, it also means hours of editing their class council application and nervously awaiting a confirma tion or denial via email.

As one of the largest organi zations for advertising student-led events and cultivating a positive en vironment on campus, Northwood’s class councils are highly regarded and follow a strict appointment pro cess. However, as we continue with a year of changing old traditions for the better, there is one question that begs to be answered: Should North wood consider a change in council selection?

In short, the answer is yes. Tra ditionally, councils at Northwood con sist of 16-18 people (varying by grade) and are not decided until ASB cabi net elections have concluded, since the task of selecting a council is the

responsibility of the newly elected presidents and vice presidents of each grade. Although this model of ap pointment allows each council to commence and begin planning events earli er in the school year, the selection of members can be come highly dependent upon the preferences of each president and their respective advisor.

compilation of coun cils at Woodbridge is

months and embodies the voice of the entire student body; an approach that Northwood should further consider. Se nior Nanami Yamakawa, the ASB president at Woodbridge, detailed their system.

“Before the school year ends, there is a sepa rate class council election that is similar to any other ASB elected position,” Yamakawa said. “Out of everybody running, only eight people

Similar to the campaigns of standard roles such as presidents and commission ers, candidates are given the opportunity to publicize their campaign and present speech es to their peers. End-of-year elections also decide the up coming class representatives, or president and vice presidents: Leaving 10 out of 20 total positions filled as the school year concludes.

The remaining 10 spots are decided under the discretion of the elected representatives at the begin ning of the next school year, which is similar to Northwood’s practice. Yet, the key difference between these

who act as the branch between ASB and the student body—as well as more opportunities to apply for positions.

“The purpose of a student council is to have a group that specifical ly serves and rep resents your class,” Yamakawa said. “You get a mix of different students in class council through different ways of appointment.”

Although an election sounds unfair due to an unspoken em

doesn’t necessarily make a negative to councils. A person elected by vote clearly has the trust of the student body to

properly represent their ideas; in combination with the 10 appointed representatives, multiple cultures and niche interests clubs are well acknowledged across campus. Yamakawa also discussed the impact of forming committees of 20 members as opposed to 15—or in some cases, even fewer. Recruiting a greater number of stu dents has made a large impact on school culture by bridging the gap between polar groups on campus, helping the collective community feel more welcoming and connected.

With changes to traditions as significant as homecoming court pi oneering the way, it may be time to step back and take a look at our class councils. Changing a school’s cul ture for the better takes time, but the 2022-23 school year is the best place to start. By adopting an election sys tem or simply implementing a con sistent and slightly larger group of people, student councils will have the ability to better serve and represent all classes at Northwood. Torrales

Cross Country: How they get their start

Cubing with Kyeongmin Choi

By Shreya Aithal Staff Writer

Glancing all around the Rubik’s Cube, junior Kyeongmin Choi takes a deep breath, setting down the 2x2. He knows how he’s going to solve it. Three… two… one… and he’s off, taking only a stellar 1.08 seconds to demolish the cube. Success washes over him in a slow smile. Choi has set another Korean record.

With five Korean records and five Californian records under his belt, Choi is a competitive Rubik’s Cuber who began his speedcubing journey in the fifth grade after im migrating to the United States from Korea in 2016.

As a 2x2 speedcuber as well, Choi has not only spent time on un derstanding the details of cubing but also the importance of experience, solving the 2x2 cube over 40,000 times to fully understand the cube.

“When I was really practicing for 2x2 I would usually do at least 200 solves per day, which equates to about 80 minutes,” Choi said.

Putting in time and preparing for competitions has exposed Choi to intricacies of the sport, such as the importance of caring for his hands before a round, as well as staying

balancing school and cubing as a challenge, finding that he has less time to practice cubing due to the demands of junior year. He uses his skills in efficiency and time man agement to find time for cubing and competition preparation.

“I’m really confident that I will continue to do this because I feel like I’m pretty good at it and also because I have a really big passion for the hobby itself,” Choi said. “It really gives you a sense of fulfillment.”

Choi hopes to achieve his first official world record, first place in

By Ally Venezia Staff Writer

On your marks. Set. Go. The 2022-23 Northwood boys and girls cross country team has begun their season with a bang.

To highlight the start of their sea son, Northwood raced against Seger strom High School and Woodbridge High School on Aug. 27, where se nior captain Farhaan Safi placed 7th overall in the Men’s Open 3 Mile and junior Sharice Laygo placed 3rd in the Women’s Open 3 Mile.

Preparation for this race began in early July, with two hour practices every morning. Safi and junior cap tain Madison Ledgard are extremely pleased with the progress their team has been making, including the new athletes who had their first taste of cross country races at the Segerstrom meet.

“We have a lot of newcomers this year,” Safi said. “It was a good opportunity to see them race.”

This year, the cross country team has over 20 new athletes out of their team of 50. The vast majority of new athletes attended the cross coun try summer camp where they were introduced to running at the high school level.

“Summer camp is a time to get people back in shape,” Ledgard said. “We also wanted the team to get to know each other because this is when the new kids show up.”

While most of Northwood spent their summer sleeping in, the cross country team was awake before the sun, putting in hours upon hours of work. Many high school sports’ summer camps last only a couple of weeks, but cross country begins training in early July and continues practices into the beginning of the school year.

“This is gonna be a year where they’re really going to gain their con

fidence and then be even better the following year,” head coach Louis Muniz said. “They’ve been training pretty extensively for the past 10 weeks and I think they’re ready to demonstrate all of that hard work and prove that it was all worth it.”

With practice every day after school until 5:30 p.m. and tough workouts such as running upwards of 10 miles a day, the training is in tense as the expectations are high this season for all athletes. Both captains and coaches alike are considering this season a “gear up year.” Normally, the team is filled with upperclass men ready to graduate high school, but this year is focused on preparing the younger runners for four years of intense competition.

While cross country is a deeply physical challenge, the most impor tant battle is the one that happens within each runners’ own mind. When athletes are spending hours upon hours pushing themselves past their limits, it is easy to give up.

“Cross country is a mental sport,” Safi said. “There are times where you think that you want to quit. There are days where I feel that, but I still push myself. Through cross country, I’ve discovered myself. I go through that mental barrier, you know. That’s just what cross country is.”

This mentality relates to the start of the fall sports season be cause many young athletes join new sports, but when faced with competi tion, feel the desire to quit. But cross country is a sport worth persisting through. By attending summer camp and continuing to push past their own limits, these runners have proven that they have what it takes to make Northwood cross country stronger than ever.

“It’s important to keep going,” Ledgard said. “Even when you want to give up, don’t. Just keep running.”

“I learned how to solve a Ru bik’s Cube first when I was 7,” Choi said. “My mom got me a Rubik’s Cube, so I started practicing because I got into it and thought it was pretty fun.”

Speedcubing involves timed events where participants solve vari ous styles of cubes such as a 2x2, 3x3

GO THE DISTANCE: Junior Kenny Kamikawa weaves through the competition during the JV boys race at the Saddleback Cup Challenge.

Ellie Chan The Northwood Howler

Behind the Scenes of Northwood’s football team

By Jaycee Hendrickson Staff Writer

From the booming crowds of Portola Stadium, a sea of students cheer as Northwood’s football team opens the 2022 season with a de cisive victory against Woodbridge High School. What you see from the stands, as football players throw down their helmets and rally up their teammates, is pure excitement: A re sult of endless dedication and hard work.

But hidden behind this con tentment is the unspoken side of Northwood’s success—the side of exhausting practices matched with the determination of the team’s roster and coaches alike.

The energy shortly before prac tice is lighthearted and fun. Small groups are scattered across the field as players mess around with their

teammates in anticipation for prac tice. From as far as the tennis courts, you could peer over the softball fenc es and see footballs in the air, tossed across 50 yards in a short game of “Three Flags Up.”

“Helmets on!”

At 3 p.m. sharp, Andrew Penrod and senior captains Jonathan Kang and Adam Harper call for warm ups.

Stretching across the sideline of the upper grass field, a combina tion of Northwood’s JV and varsity teams begin to mentally prepare for the day’s work.

Although the attention has be gun to focus, the dynamic remains re laxed as a couple of guys continue to pass the ball and work down the field, following their leadership through a series of short sprints, quad pulls and scoops.

After nearly 10 minutes, the whistle blows—immediately silenc

ing the team as they tense up.

Head coach of Northwood’s football program J.C. Clarke begins to direct the first drill of punt returns. The entire team quickly lines up into a long, uniform line that faces the pack of coaches in front of them. Calls for attention, silence and determina tion are demanded of the players, to which they immediately return.

It may have been nearly 20 min utes since the official commencement of practice, but any passerby could feel the change in dynamic in that moment. The next two hours consist of various drills including formations and snap count, posititionals, play book review and more.

Listening to the voices of Clarke and Northwood’s six assistant coach es, without the context of coaching, makes practice an intimidating sight. There are constant shouts of orders and criticism directed at the players,

Student Speak: Why Your Sport?

By Rachel Yokota Sports Editor

I started soccer because it was really interesting to watch. My dad would show me games all the time and I liked watching it. I also played FIFA a lot, so I was like, I’ll play soccer. I started really young too, I think around 5 years old. I’m pretty bad but now I’m on Varsity, so it’s all good.

- Aditya Rawat (12) Soccer

Before cheer, I was a dancer for many years, but I’ve always wanted to join the squad. My mom was a cheerleader when she was younger and I wanted to follow in her footsteps. She used to sign me up for these three-day cheer camps where we learned cheers and performed at varsity football games. I thought it was super fun and exciting to see the girls stunt and cheer for their school, and I wanted to do the same when I got to high school.

- Adisten Perry (9) Pep Squad

I started playing golf when I was 7 years old after my dad brought me to the course to play. He started playing a year before me and he thinks it’s a good sport, so he encouraged me to play as well. Then I started to practice more of ten as well because I also think it’s good exercise. I like golf because no matter what natural ability you were born with, you can play good golf. Whether you are big or tiny doesn’t matter.

- Winnie Wei (10) Golf

I played football at lunch with my friends in elementary and middle school and I always thought that it was fun and that joining football would be a good experience. There’s not many other places where you can get the equip ment and be on a team with 50 other guys, so I thought it was a good opportu nity for high school. It turns out that I really like that team experience. When you’re around so many people, it’s a good opportunity to learn discipline. I think that’s where I learned a lot of my work habits.

- Emir Uzun (11) Football

but despite the relentless direction of the coaches, all athletes have the same understanding: It’s all for the love of the game and each other.

On the field, criticism is not giv en with ill-intent. It is given with the intention of continuous growth and improvement. The team’s success de pends on these students’ willingness as athletes to accept that. However, this is completely based on their men tality.

An aspect of athletics that is commonly overlooked, mentality has an incredible impact on a team’s suc cess. Along with physical improve ments in game-play and strategy, Northwood’s coaches look to build a culture that overcomes mental blocks and overexhaustion early in the sea son—starting with game day

“The day of the game is about managing emotions,” assistant coach Dean Toohey said. “You have to stay

relaxed as much as possible until the game starts. If you don’t, you’ll be exhausted before it starts.”

This approach seems to be working as the Timberwolves have started the season strong. The next two games (University High School and Laguna Hills High School) are away, but Northwood will return to Portola Stadium for a home game on Oct. 21 against Irvine High School.

“I feel very excited about the upcoming season,” Kang said. “From the last season we had, we hope to continue to build off of it and get bet ter everyday.”

In 2021, Northwood’s varsity football team was titled Pacific Hills and CIF Division 11 champions. None of this success would have been possible without the “behind the scenes” of this team—and with high hopes for the season, they look to mark 2022 in the books as well.

Neil Godse The Northwood Howler

TACKLING THE GAME: Northwood’s frosh and JV players watch their varsity team sweep Valley View High School during the Homecoming game.

Neil Godse The Northwood Howler

Neil Godse The Northwood Howler

Tyler Truong The Northwood Howler

A Education Strategy

Tickle Twolf

The Signs as Required English Readings

By AnnABel Tiong Junk Editor

Aquarius: Just like Huck’s strong moral compass, you are shamelessly innovative and aren’t afraid to devise crazy schemes to improve the lives of those around you. Forget float ing down the Mississippi with a runaway slave: You’re rafting your way out of doing textbook readings with the whole class group chat on your tail.

Pisces: Sensitive, intuitive and empathetic, you represent the turmoil of emotions in Mor rison’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel. Often faced with con stant cries for attention from schoolwork, academics and trying to maintain a social life while staying sane, you may be a good visualization of the stress of family relationships explored in “Beloved.”

Aries: Your boldness and am bition parallels that of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth to a tee. Whilst you are casually turning every thing from hours of sleep to hours spent on AMSCO notes into a competition, Darcy and Elizabeth are busy trying to one-up who can pretend to not be interested for the longest.

Taurus: You are the embod iment of treat-yourself, and no book says treat yourself like the grand displays of wealth and house parties of the Jazz Age in Gatsby. The only caveat is that your modernized version of luxury involves splurging on a sparkling, caffeinated Ice from the vending machine to reward yourself for showing up to school.

Gemini: Full of curiosity and unapologetically spontaneous, hanging out with you derives the same feeling as following along to a printout of Hamil ton’s soundtrack while analyzing it for lit devices; You only have a vague idea of what’s going on

Aquarius: “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”

Pisces: “Beloved”

Aries: “Pride and Prejudice”

Taurus: “The Great Gatsby”

Gemini: “Hamilton”

Cancer: “The House on Mango Street”

Leo: “Macbeth”

Virgo: “The Prince”

Libra: “To Kill a Mockingbird”

Scorpio: “The Stranger”

Sagittarius: “Julius Caesar”

Capricorn: “The Iliad”

historically but King George III’s vocals go so hard that you keep reading anyways.

Cancer: Your emotional intel ligence rivals that of Esperanza’s beautiful vignettes, as she tries navigating all the hardships of human interactions and growing up. Just as how “The House on Mango Street” deals with the intricacies of adolescence, your life is quite literally a collection of vignettes as you romanticize passing by that one person in the hallway or studying in a cafe.

Leo: Nothing says drama like Shakespeare’s infamous tragedy featuring witchcraft, prophecies, and murder. Except your life. Your close friend story rants are arguably more passionate than Macbeth’s monologue about tomorrow, tomorrow, to morrow, but keep that ambition in check or else your downfall might manifest in the form of five tests on the same day.

Virgo: Having issues ruling over a kingdom? According to Machiavelli, the solution is to make everyone scared of you. Having issues with people being unreliable? According to you, the solution is to do it yourself. A big stickler for organization, you tend to bear others’ responsi bilities for efficiency. Although, you might want to ignore Ma chiavelli and start preaching the whole “better to be loved than feared” when speaking with the parking violation staff.

Libra: Equilibrium. Harmony. Justice. You are Scout’s strong sense of morals reincarnated, as you diligently seek to right the wrongs of Northwood. From refusing to share the daily quiz topics at break to going all the way around in the lunch line, all your mini efforts are graciously noticed by your friends at The Howler Staff.

Scorpio: The misunderstand ings Meursault faces throughout “The Stranger” might just rival the misunderstandings you face everyday. Your friends tend to describe you as mysterious, as you slink into the oddest cor ners of the school for tutorials and somehow reappear during lunch.

Sagittarius: You are con stantly asking some of the toughest questions on campus. Why is the traffic so bad? Who runs NHS Confessions? When does tutorial end? This blazing quest for knowledge is just like Brutus’ blazing quest to prevent tyranny–although hopefully you don’t murder anyone along the way.

Capricorn: Nothing is more precious to you than time. Sim ilar to how battle after battle is launched between the jumble of Greek names within the Iliad, your schedule is tight and action-packed with activities planned at all times. Of course, no one said they had to be productive.

WILL YOU SURVIVE? NHS CLASS EDITION

By RheA gupTA Staff Writer

1. It's the first day of school and you walk into Period 1. What does your ideal class look like?

a. There is no better way to start off a prosperous academic year than with English: The class that makes the birds sing, the sun shine brighter and adds a hop to my step.

b. I plan on finding a cure for cancer so please di rect me to AP Biology.

c. Walking onto the field with my instrument in hand and my peers ready to march with their instru ments on a fine, misty early morning is the right way to start any day.

d. Walking into a classroom with motivational fig ures decorating the walls.

2. Your peers are presenting their group project to the rest of the class and you are next. What do you do?

a. Analyze their diction choice, fluctuation in tone, and use of rhetorical devices so I can turn in a written report for extra credit at the end of class.

b. Calculate the probability of our group getting an A based on the temperature of the room, everyone's choice of clothing and my distance from the door.

c. Secretly put one AirPod in my ear because Mo zart is the only person who can relieve my nerves during these unprecedented times.

d. Memorize every word that has come out of the presenter's mouth to learn from their mistakes and avoid repeating them.

3. After school, what is your favorite activity?

a. First I come home and then rummage through my humble abode for the workings of a delicate meal. Next, I like to ponder my surroundings on the comfort of silk sheets until I drift off into a food coma.

b. Caffeine is the answer to all my problems.

c. On my journey back home, my ears are bless ed by the soft melodious sounds echoing through my car's speakers. As I prepare my study snack, a deli cious sandwich, the music guides my hand motions as I cut my tomatoes into perfectly even slices.

d. After school Agenda: Start APUSH lectures at 4 p.m., break at 5:30 p.m., finish WHAP reading at 6:30 p.m., dinner at 7 p.m., complete next week's English outline at 7:30 p.m., study next unit's history lectures at 9 p.m., sleep at 10:30 p.m.

SABA nABAeighAhRoudi The Northwood Howler

A Royal Treat: Homecoming Food Court

RE: Help! My schedule sucks.

By elenA higuChi Staff Writer

Dear my favorite Northwood counselor,

It’s just so nice to be back at Northwood again for another school year! There’s nothing quite like slamming into freshmen during pass ing periods with their faces buried in the online map. Despite the num ber of bruises I’ve already received, I still have hope that this year is going to be awesome.

I know I’ve sent you a few emails over the summer about letters of recommendations and reminding you of what teacher I really want ed for this year, but I just have one more little issue. (Okay, but in MY opinion, 13 emails isn’t really THAT much… like helping me is a part of your job, right?)

My class schedule is an absolute nightmare! Have you seen it? The conditions that I’m enduring right now are almost inhumane.

My first period English classroom is on the SECOND floor! How am I supposed to make it to class on time if I have to trek up to my classroom at 8:25 a.m. in the morning?? By the time I get to class, I’m literally dripping in sweat and it makes me so self-conscious that I might smell bad…

My second period math class is facing SOUTH. I’ve recently been reading a lot of wellness magazines, and I learned about something called feng shui, an ancient Chinese practice of positioning furniture in certain ways to create balance in the natural world. It’s super deep stuff. And I gotta be honest, there’s something so unnatural and dis turbing about a south-facing classroom. It just feels like the flow of energy is not passing through correctly and I just can’t do math in this environment! Plus, all my friends have a different teacher. I heard that class has good feng shui, so can you move me there?

My AP Environmental Science class is too cold. Last Tuesday, I lit erally wore a puffer coat to class. So much for global warming. Isn’t the temperature supposed to be hot?

By Ally VeneziA Staff Writer

We’re all familiar with the customary titles of king, queen, prince and princess, but these terms are outdated and non-inclu sive. In order to be more support ive, I propose a new order: the Homecoming Food Court.

Gone are the days of the Homecoming hierarchy, the world of confetti cannons, crowns and purple velvet. Now, we step into the fluorescent lights of the food court, decorated with funfetti ex plosions from Casey’s Cupcakes and the royalty that is silky al mond Häagen-Dazs ice cream.

First, I’d like to introduce our Court prince: the classic Subway. It’s everything we’ve seen before, popular but not enough to top the court. The best part? You can always pick up leftovers and add them to the inside of your sub (which may or may not be a met aphor for the leftover underclass

men on the ballot. Not too sure).

Next, we are announcing our our beloved princess: Starbucks. The creator of the most extrava gant, elegant beverages around. Hints of passion fruit and creamy coconut milk are markers of the most iconic Pink Drink. Naturally, all orders must be for the drink that went viral on TikTok, so all court votes are cast in favor of Starbucks. Congratulations to our Homecoming Princess!

Moving on, we divert our atten tion to the most delectable treats and our gorgeous Homecoming Queen: Cinnabon. Why would one ever dare to venture into a homegrown bakery when Cinnabon is what we all know and love?

And finally, our king of the court. When we first enter the food court, eager to pick a place to fill our bellies, our eyes imme diately turn to the motherload— Panda Express.

Despite the plethora of local, more authentic Chinese restau

rants to choose from, people gravitate towards the tried-andtrue Panda Express. Can you blame them when orange chicken is the most luxurious meal avail able? The long line of admirers correlates directly to the quality of the food. In fact, mall goers hold a silent ballot everyday when cast ing their vote for the best chow mein. A clear king of the court.

These royally good eats have been around since the beginning; they’re what we’ve grown up with. Does it matter that their food is overcooked or bland? Of course not. The customers unquestion ably slip right into the mile-long queue of fellow shoppers mind lessly scrolling through their phones, shopping bags hooked around their arms. This is exact ly why this new system has the perfect amount of randomness, bias, inefficiency and inclusivity (I mean, you just have so many op tions) to be implemented for our new Homecoming court elections.

Okay, here’s a big one. My fourth period history class is literally towards the back of the school. By the time I get through the lunchtime stampede (aka the lunch line), the only food options left are the slices of pizza that slid out of the little, white cardboard boxes. Think of the number of people who touched that slice… yuck. Can you move me to a class that’s like, right in front of the lunch line? I would literally do any thing for that. I’ll even bring you a slice of pizza… I can’t promise that it hasn’t been touched by at least 40 high school teenagers though.

Also, my Spanish class is terrible. The class is really warm and dim, so I end up falling asleep after eating a big lunch. The classroom is literally an ideal napping environment, but the teacher keeps getting mad when I start snoring. She says she is going to have to call my par ents if I fall asleep again. Isn’t that so unfair? I mean, teachers are sup posed to care about our well-being right? I need my afternoon snooze to perform my best academically.

So Miss Counselor, please help me. My class schedule is just… it needs to be changed. ASAP. Please. I’m BEGGING you. I know the last day to change my classes was like, three weeks ago, but it’s just a couple classes. Pretty, pretty please? I’m sure it won’t take that long to redo my whole schedule. And if anyone has some conflicts with mine, well, you know what to do.

Sincerely, Your favorite student

P.S. Could you also write at least 6 pages for my letter of recommenda tion? I didn’t sign my FERPA waiver! ;)

AyA TAkASe-Songui And ellie ChAn The Northwood Howler

FEAST YOUR EYES: Northwood’s newly-elected delectable Homecoming court stands proudly at the top of the food chain

ABBy WARnoCk The Northwood Howler